North Dakota law allows testators to change their wills for any reason, including taking into account family or economic changes. To change your will in North Dakota, you must comply with the original legal requirements that were necessary to create your will. You may want to change your will to consider additional children, changing your beneficiary designations or to take a recent divorce or marriage into account. You should also change your will to appoint a new representative or executor or for changes to the federal or state tax laws. If you purchase or sell property that is part of your estate, you will need to make sure you change your will to reflect your real property ownership changes.
You should also change your will to reflect any new personal property that you acquired or sold since you first drafted your will. Under North Dakota law, you may be able to refer to a separate document within your written will to dispose of your personal property. You must sign both your will and the additional personal property list, but you may not use the separate list to bequeath your money.
Another reason you should change your will is to comply with new state laws. If you relocate to another jurisdiction, you will have to make sure that your will complies with your new state’s probate laws. For instance, a will that is valid in North Dakota may not be valid in a different state. However, many jurisdictions may uphold your North Dakota will as long as your executor or representative files it with a local probate court.
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